Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

 

Girl riding penny farthing bike – Natalia Mendoza

 

Papier Mache arts

 

It’s not surprising that papier mache originated in China, being the original inventors of paper. It is recorded that during the Han Dynasty (BC 202 – AD 220), lacquer reinforced papier mache was used to create helmets followed by other 3 dimensional objects in the decorative arts. Its use spread to Japan and Persia followed by Europe. The use of papyrus scrolls predates this in Egypt and the Mediterraneum but it wasn’t as suitable for creating paper mache due to having a less fibrous structure that could be broken down. Between the mid-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, England and France developed industries where furniture and architectural ornamentation was made from papier mache along with decorative objects.
Rice flour, rye meal, mashed potato, tobacco leaves, plaster, resin and clay were some of the other traditional ingredients added with the paper in the production of papier mache. It was also reinforced with linens and muslin. The addition of the oil of cloves or other additives such as salt was included in the mixture as an antiseptic along with using potash to act as a deterrent against insects. Newspaper is still a convenient and popular choice for production using the pulp method of soaking overnight or boiling to obtain a malleable consitency. The application of soaked paper strips is sometimes favoured for building forms of a large size.
Animated puppets, dolls, figurines, lidded boxes, lightweight props for theatre and stage productions and sculptures are some of the applications still using papier mache in the arts. The focus here is on five current papier mache artists: Natalia Mendoza from Barcelona, Brazilian artists  Fábio de Souza Pinheiro and Ubiratã Trindade, Colombian Mauricio Perez and Chicagoan Tato Correa.

 

 

A Palekh jewellery box depicting a scene from the fairy tale ‘Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf’

Palekh Russian lacquer art on papier-mâché first appeared in 1923 in the village of Palekh

 

Natalia Mendoza

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Natalia Mendoza was born in Barcelona, then ​​lived in Uruguay while she studied and after graduating in architecture, returned to Barcelona, where she continued her passion for creating dolls. This had been with her since her childhood and was inspired by the colourful characters in the book ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

 

Natalia Mendoza  – papier mache girl figure with paper plane

 

 

Natalia Mendoz, Barcelona

 

 

Natalia Mendoza – paper mache Siamese twins

 

 

Natalia Mendoza hopscotch girl figure

 

‘Skipping Girl’   —-  Natalia Mendoza

 

 

‘Volarina’ — Natalia Mendoza – paper mache and clay sculpture

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra  –  Fábio de Souza Pinheiro & Ubiratã Trindade

 

Sao Paulo resident Fabio de Souza Pinheiro has  participated in several courses related to art and specifically to working with mask, puppet and animation theater, with exhibitions in Belém, Brasilia and Salvador. He was a member of the ‘A Roda’ group of puppet theater (with performances staged in Salvador and other states of Brazil.

He belongs to Papel pra toda Obra (‘Paper for every Work’) which is a papier mache collective of artists that has explored, for over 12 years, the techniques and possibilities for manipulating paper into abstract forms, utilitarian objects, masks, articulated dolls, caricatures, furniture, toys, allegories and various scenarios. He has a particular interest in the universe of the circus, through figurative forms representing the playfulness of clowns, balancers, acrobats and trapeze artists, all modeled and carved in paper. Another member, Ubiratã Trindade, is inspired by popular dance and the culture closely related to Candomblé.

 

‘Ball bearer’ – Fábio de Souza Pinheiro

Papel pra toda Obra, Brasil

 

 

 

Escultura Orixás – Ubiratã Trindade

Papel pra toda Obra

 

Clown balancing act — Fábio de Souza Pinheiro

Papel pra toda Obra

 

 

Fábio de Souza Pinheiro  – Clown with performing dog

Papel pra toda Obra

 

Papel pra toda Obra – clown riding bike

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra — paper mache clown balancing on a red ball

 

 

 

Escultura – The sculptures of Bahia in Samba de Roda are made by Ubiratã Trindade, inspired by popular dance closely related to Candomblé.

 

Fábio de Souza Pinheiro – unicyclist clown

Papel pra toda Obra

 

Fábio de Souza Pinheiro — girl balancing on ball

Papel pra toda Obra

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra – female paper mache wall figure

 

 

Fábio de Souza Pinheiro  – clown on box

Papel pra toda Obra

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra  — paper mache clown

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra – reclining female in black hat papier mache sculpture

 

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra papier mache wall relief art

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra – circular blue mermaid wall art

Brazil

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra – papier mache clown acrobats

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra paper mache girl with air balloon

 

 

Ubiratã Trindade papier mache artist

 

 

Papel pra toda Obra – chef carrying a cake

 

 

Trapeze artist papier mache – Fábio de Souza Pinheiro

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Mauricio Perez

 

Colombian native Mauricio Perez is a ‘plastico artista’ who covers a diverse range of subject matter for the many papier mache characters he creates ranging from celebrities, fairytales, fantasy worlds and other imaginative flights of fancy.

 

Papier Mache Whirling Dervish —- Mauricio Perez

 

 

 

‘Elizabeth’ paper mache figure – Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez — girl sitting with cat

 

 

Van Gogh sunflowers – Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez chef

 

 

Mauricio Perez pierrot heads

 

 

Guardian angel – Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez — 2015

 

Blue striped cat – Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez – 3 paper mache fashion models

 

 

 

Mauricio Perez–Frida Kahlo

 

 

Mauricio Perez – female jester

 

 

Mauricio Perez – three clowns

 

 

Mauricio Perez

 

Mauricio Perez — head in clouds

 

 

Mauricio Perez – king with no clothes

 

Mauricio Perez- Kissing couple

 

 

Mauricio Perez Klimt in gold

 

 

Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez, 2016

 

 

Mauricio Perez paper mache girl with tree hat

 

 

Mauricio Perez paper mache figures models

 

 

Mauricio Perez rainbow wolf

 

 

Mauricio Perez — strongman

 

 

Yellow Submarine—Beatles  —  Mauricio Perez

 

 

Mauricio Perez paper mache

 

 

 

Tato Correa

Coco and Pepe

 

Tato Correa mainly does papier mache figure sculptures of iconic fashion.

 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s—Audrey Hepburn – — Tato Correa

Coco and Pepe

 

 

Channel—Jacqueline Kennedy – Tato Correa

Coco and Pepe

 

 

Catherine Deneuve — Belle Du Jour — Tato Correa, Chicago

Coco and Pepe

 

Twiggy — Tato Correa, Chicago

 

Cindy Lauper—Album Cover 1983 — Tato Correa,

 

 

Dita Von Tease — Day Dress — Tato Correa, Chicago

 

Lucille Ball — Tato Correa